


Crush Culture

by fangirlingbooknerd



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, conan gray - Freeform, dex is a dork, literally just 2k words of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 20:13:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19092307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlingbooknerd/pseuds/fangirlingbooknerd
Summary: Dex really likes the song "Crush Culture" by Conan Gray but he's not happy about it.He hated that he wanted to listen to it. He hated that he related to the lyrics. He hated that every time he heard this song, this beautiful beautiful song, all he saw was Nursey’s stupid eyes and stupid smile and stupid hands and...~not based on the song, just revolving around it~





	Crush Culture

**Author's Note:**

> The title obviously comes from "Crush Culture" by Conan Gray as do the lyrics I quote. Characters obviously belong to the incredibly talented Ngozi Ukazu. Hope you like it!

Dex only ever played music in the Haus when he was alone, and he had never been more grateful to be by himself. 

 

His last class of the day had been brutal; he felt like he understood more before the professor started lecturing than after. The Haus had been completely empty when he came back after his class, and he decided to celebrate with a long shower with his music blasting. He’d earned it, alright? 

 

He went to pick out a shower playlist, as if he wasn’t going to listen to the same song on repeat. He hated that he wanted to listen to it. He hated that he related to the lyrics. He hated that every time he heard this song, this beautiful beautiful song, all he saw was Nursey’s stupid eyes and stupid smile and stupid hands and.

 

_Breathe, William, breathe,_ he thinks, trying to calm himself down. _Yes, you have the world’s biggest crush on Derek Nurse, your teammate, your roommate. Yes, it sucks. Yes, you can never tell anyone ever. That’s just how it is. As if you didn’t have enough stress in your life with your impossible courses and conservative family, you just had to fall for your English major teammate. An English major of all people! You know that Dad would NEVER- Stop. Stop._ Sighing, Will checks the Haus one more time, making sure it’s completely empty before turning on the shower and his “shower playlist.” 

 

“Crush Culture” by Conan Gray pours through his shitty phone speakers, and he steps into the water as the first line begins. Slowly but surely feels the tension slowly start to leave. There’s just something about this song that relaxes him despite it making him think about Nursey. Maybe it relaxes him _because_ he makes it him think about Nursey… nope not going down that road. 

 

Another advantage to the Haus being empty: he can sing in the shower. Yes, Bitty does it all time, but Dex is way too self conscious for that. He can already imagine the chirps if his teammates ever heard his playlists, even worse if they catch him singing. Closing his eyes, he gives in to the magnetic pull of the song, at first softly singing, but belting out the bridge before long. “Crush Culture” is one of those songs that makes Dex lose track of time, lost in the lyrics and the feel of the music. He has no idea how long he’s been in the shower before he finally starts to shampoo his hair, to soap his body. 

 

He has no idea that he is no longer the only person in the Haus. 

 

Derek Nurse is about to call out to say hello, when he hears what has to be Dex faintly singing along passionately to some song about crushes. _Thank you, Google,_ he thinks as he types in a line that he was able to make out. (It was “crush culture makes me wanna spill my guts out” because Dex loves that first line of the chorus. He DOES want to spill his guts out, and he hates that.) Scanning the lyrics, Nursey is surprised… this song is all about pining and being lonely and full of emotions that Nursey never expected from Dex. 

 

Upstairs, Dex is still passionately singing to the song, but when he gets to the bridge his voice gets louder and louder, until he’s yelling the last line instead of singing. This is how he always sings the bridge, but to Nursey it’s electric. He moves closer to the stairs, desperate to hear every word that Dex is saying. Dex is not a great singer by any means, but Nursey finds it oddly cute how off key he is. Maybe that just proves how far gone on this boy he is. 

 

Nursey reads the lyrics to the bridge again: “shut your damn mouth… you’re talking too loud… and no one cares if you too made out… I’m sick of the kissing crowd”

 

He thinks back to last week’s game of Never Have I Ever when he talked about the guys and girls he had hooked up with in high school. People liked when you wrote poetry about them, and Nursey knew that. He remembers Dex’s face when he said this, how he refused to look up from the floor, how his face got all pinched up, even more so than when any of the other players spoke about their experiences. He remembers how little Dex had to drink to. He remembers how their shoulders kept brushing the whole night. He remembers thinking that Dex might be into him, before remembering that Dex was 100% straight. 

 

Dex is also reliving those memories as he finishes up his shower. He remembers being so jealous every time Nursey had done something even remotely intimate. He remembers pressing his shoulder against Nursey’s not sure how else to tell him how he’s feeling. He remembers the bridge of “Crush Culture” slamming into his head. 

 

He leaves the music on as he dries himself off and gets dressed again. He leaves the music on as he heads downstairs to get some of the pie left in the fridge (he has no idea what flavor it is, but it’s Bitty’s so all flavors are good flavors). He’s not screaming the lyrics anymore, now just softly singing, thinking he’s still safe in the Haus since he hasn’t checked the time. If he had checked the time, he would know that his twenty minute shower was actually thirty minutes and that Nursey had been at the Haus for fifteen minutes, listening to him sing the same song over and over again. If he had checked the time, he wouldn’t be frozen on the stairs, mortified, seeing Nursey look at him with an expression he’s never seen before. 

 

Nursey holds Dex’s stare, and he knows that his face is a mixture of curiosity (about who Dex is crushing on), embarrassment (for being caught listening to Dex sing), and fondness (Dex really isn’t that bad of a singer, and he’s pining ugh is there anything cuter, and his hair is all wet from the shower that definitely shouldn’t be as cute as it is, and oh he’s starting to blush and Nursey loves when he blushes). 

 

“So, uh,” Nursey starts, not really sure where he’s going with this sentence. 

 

The sound of his voice seems to snap Dex back to reality. “How long have you been here? Did you, uh, did you hear anything?”

 

Nursey laughs. “Dex, you literally haven’t even turned the song off yet, obviously I hear something.” Quickly, Dex reaches for his phone to turn off the music, clearly flustered. “But also… I’ve been here for like fifteen minutes now. Your singing was terrific, by the way.” Look, he may be so far gone on Dex, but he’s not going to resist a good chirp. 

 

“Shut it.” Dex snaps back with more ferocity than he meant to, a defense mechanism more than anything. He steps forward, down the stairs, so he can properly chew out Nursey when Nursey stops him. 

 

“Hey, no, I’m being serious. It was cute. I mean sure maybe a little off key, but you were clearly very passionate. I didn’t know you were that into Conan Gray.”

 

That gives Dex a pause. “You know who Conan Gray is?”

 

_Fuck fuck fuck. How does he play this off? He can’t tell Dex that he looked up Conan Gray just because he heard Dex sing it._ “Oh well not really, but I’ve definitely heard that song before. I think it’s pretty popular around Samwell.” 

 

“Oh, right, of course… Anyway, it’d be cool if you didn’t say anything to the rest of the team. It’s bad enough that you heard me, in fact you’re the last person I ever wanted to know, but the team would never stop chirping me and-”

 

“Wait, why am I the last person you wanted to know?”

 

“Nursey, don’t do this.” 

 

“Do what? I’m being serious.” He steps closer to Dex and nudges him with his elbow. “We’re literally roommates, I’ve seen you do some really dumb shit before. Why is this somehow crossing a line?”

 

Dex struggles for words, desperately trying not to give himself away. “Well, you know, because…” he trails off. 

 

Nursey steps closer again. “Because,” he prompts, looking at Dex expectantly. Impossibly, Dex turns even redder, so Nursey tries a different tactic. “Okay, okay, don’t tell me why. Either way, I’ve got your back on this. Your secret is safe with me.” Dex looks instantly relieved. “But is there any chance that you’d tell me who your crush is?”

 

“Seriously, Nursey? Are you kidding me right now? No I’m not gonna tell you!”

 

“But I could help make something happen, you never know!”

 

Dex internally laughs. _You have no idea._ “It really doesn’t matter, okay? Because it’s just an unrequited crush that’s going nowhere, so we should really just forget it ever happened.” 

 

“No, don’t sell yourself short like that, Dex. Any girl would be lucky to have you, okay? You’re smart, you play hockey, you’re built, you’re good looking.” _FUCK_. “Well, good looking for a carrot top, I guess.” _Good save, Derek, good save._

 

These compliments hurt more than anything, so close to what Dex truly wants. “Any GIRL would be lucky to have me, huh? Well too bad my crush is A GUY!” Oh shit, he did not plan on doing that. _Fuck! What did I just do? Oh no oh no oh noooo fuuuuck he’s gonna hate me he’s gonna tell everyonehe’sgonna- he’s gonna grab my hand? And thank me for trusting him? And promise to keep it a secret? Because he knows how I’m feeling right now? Fuck it._

 

Dex is thankful for the short distance, as surges forward to kiss Nursey. There’s five seconds of pure bliss before Dex realizes what he’s just done. “I’m… shit, sorry.” He starts to pull away but Nursey is still. Holding. His. Hand. Dex looks down at their entwined fingers as Nursey pulls Dex forward. “what are you-“ His sentence is cut off as Nursey kisses Dex, as Nursey puts in all of the pent up feelings that he’s had for Dex into one kiss. 

 

When they break apart, Dex is staring at Nursey with a dazed expression. 

 

Nursey starts to explain. “Dex, I’ve been so far gone on you for so long. Why do you think I never let you read my poetry, even when I let Chowder or Bitty or anyone else read it?”

 

“I dunno, I just thought it was because you didn’t like me.”  


“You fool, you gorgeous, gorgeous fool. It’s because I did like you. It was all about you. I didn’t want to write poetry about you, but every time I put a pen to paper, your face flooded my head until all I could think about was you. Some were more subtle than others, the ones I shared, but so many of them are about a beautiful boy with red hair, who is as smart and he is stubborn, who shares a room with me, who I love to argue with, who”

 

Nursey doesn’t get to finish his sentence, too busy kissing back Dex. “Told you that people really do like when you write poetry about them,” Nursey chirps at a flushed Dex. Dex gives him a look, so Nursey just brings him back in, lost in how good just simple kissing makes him feel. 

 

Unable to resist, Nursey smirks up at Dex. “So, I know you’re sick of them, but I guess this makes you part of the kissing crowd, huh?” 

 

Dex rolls his eyes. “I guess I can live with that, as long as you’re willing to help me.”  
  
Nursey grins. He’s never been happier to help in his life. 


End file.
